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News:Frank Gehry has responded to criticism of his own architectural style by giving an audience of journalists the middle finger and saying that most architecture today has "no sense of design".

Speaking to Spanish journalists yesterday at a press conference as part of the country's Prince of Asturias Awards programme for the arts, Gehry responded to questions about his work by giving journalists an offensive hand gesture and saying most architecture was "shit".

According to a report in Spanish newspaper El Mundo, a journalist asked the architect what his response was to people who accused him of creating architecture for show.

"Let me tell you one thing. In the world we live in, 98 per cent of what gets built and designed today is pure shit," responded Gehry after raising his middle finger. "There's no sense of design nor respect for humanity or anything. They're bad buildings and that's it."

"Every now and then, however, a small number of people do something special. They're very few. But - my God! - leave us in peace! We dedicate ourselves to our work. I don't beg for work. I don't have publicists. I'm not waiting for people to call me. I work with clients who have respect for the art of architecture. At the very least, don't ask stupid questions like this."

The museum has been credited with transforming the economic fortunes of the city by generating a new tourism industry – an effect that many other cities have attempted to recreate since by commissioning projects they hope will become similarly "iconic". Gehry said he did not realise the building would have such an impact.

"Remember that in Bilbao, people got their degree at the university and then they left. Nobody wanted to live there. It was a sad city. The steel industry was in decline, the port had no reason to exist, everyone lost their jobs," said Gehry. "It was a modest project of 80 million Euros in 1997. It was very little."

Comments

Our reactions only promote his rubbish views on the discipline, by creating false controversy. 50 years from now when his buildings are in disrepair, may we enjoy life after this mess of celebrity facade.

Alina

Preach.

Sugarsail1

Including his own residence!

Diogo Filipe

He has got a huge brass neck to do what he did. Yes, 'El Mundo' is correct. He did show his finger when asked about his architecture being described as 'architecture for show'. And it's true. He was one of the first 'star architects'. His architecture is the best example of it. It's like he got offended by someone saying the truth. Ridiculous. And yes, even some of his architecture is shit.

Aaron

I like his reaction. You don't go through projects of the magnitude that Gehry designs "just for show". That is insulting. Gehry has designed some of the greatest buildings in the world that are thoughtful and made for human beings and a purpose. You can like or not like his aesthetic, feel that he has some stylistic reflexes that might be repetitive, but "designing just for show"? Come on!

Give the guy a break. Why does everything have to suit your understanding? There's no right or wrong here, his opinion is just as valid as yours. Keep the hatred to yourself, it's ugly.

tyrannosaurus_rek

Disliking or disagreeing isn't hatred.

architactless

Not to Gehry!

marcelogardinetti

Most of Gehry's work is architectural catachresis.

bham

Word-a-day toilet paper?

Ricky

Haha boom!

Mallord

And the other 2% are crap.

Bickman

It's what I say sometimes on Dezeen. I call it satanic architecture.

Ivan

To be absolutely clear and precise: Frank Gehry is the best architect alive and this I mean in any regard, if such things can be evaluated and put into categories of the top lists. And with his 85 years one of the coolest too. And to add something more: there also so many people who somehow finish architectural school and in lack of other opportunities become "journalists", "critics", "curators" or whatever, so they can write meaningless texts and ask idiotic questions at the press conferences.

Al

Great trolling, very current.

James

It is shit because the planners don't let us build anything with a bit of vision. They approved only crap design because they have zero understanding of design. However, they still manage to hold all the power.

If building for show is a sin, then opera houses and museums should not have existed in the first place. In all fairness, that "building for show" argument is well-worthy of the finger.

Riccardo Pusceddu

I agree with you 100 per cent.

Ignacio España

I believe buildings that hold shows and buildings-for-show are a different thing.

Gerald Lindner

Ego and arrogance unfortunately go hand in hand. But “The Times They Are a-Changin". If he were a bit less blinded by his past, but now meaningless success, he could see that the debate has long moved on.

Today heroes are those who help build towards a fairer and more sustainable world. His peers, like
Renzo Piano and Frei Otto, will prove of more lasting meaning to the evolution of architecture. Gehry’s work is evolutionary a dead end, as Gardinetti
put it: an anachronism.

As you don’t have to be a genius to be able to predict that rising energy, cleaning and repair costs of his building will become an increasing burden to their owners and societies. If I were him, I’m not sure that this is something to be very proud of.

Xeso

Renzo Piano with his – some would say – middle finger to London aka The Shard?

All trained architects have aspirations of sustainable design, it's the developer twats that lack any chain beyond immediate gain.

keithwwalker

Regarding a fairer and more sustainable world, I would be thinking Shigeru Ban if we were constrained to starchitects.

Gehry's statement could be both viewed with disdain, or as a provocative statement. Provocative if he is saying that 98% of all architects work is shit, but disdainful (and empty) if he casts that opinion on all residential buildings.

I would like to see a starchitect of his caliber come down into the trenches and build an amazing house at 150% of $/sq. ft. costs.

Then he would truly 'walk the walk'.

Photography fanatic

That tweeted photo of Frank should be nominated for Portrait of the Year.

NK

The world's 85 richest people own as much as the poorest 50 percent of humanity. 70 percent of the world's people live in a country where income inequality has increased in the past three decades.

madbarka

He's absolutely right. Be grateful for his generosity. The 'pure-shitage" rate could be higher.

Alfredo

I think he found the perfect photo for his Christmas cards!

studio

Mazel tov!

Nikos K

The personification of "starchitect" teaches us Capitalism! What an irony.

mik

He is an architect! Not a rock star! Showing the finger!?
There are other ways to answer stupid questions.
This is obnoxious!

Xeso

Architects are humans too. Are you denying his basic human rights? And isn't it hypocrisy to tolerate bigotry from some but not others?

Andrew Houghton

Let's face it, the journalists have their own award ceremonies, since no one is ever going to remember them asking damn foolish questions, and writing bloody stupid articles.

Since when did any journalist ever write anything worth an accolade? At least good buildings stand the test of time, and bad ones in most parts of the world are torn down. The USA however leaves them to rot and declares the area derelict. Detroit is an example!

98% is probably an understatement. One might add, an appreciation of history would serve them better.

tyrannosaurus_rek

"Pulitzer" has more name recognition than any architecture award in the world.

studio

Tell that to the Pritzkers.

Ignacio España

Did a journalist slap you and sleep with your sister or something? You seem to have a lot of hate for a well respected profession.

Andrew Houghton

Respected by whom? How would you know? A Journalist told you so.

architactless

The job of a journalist is to ask questions on behalf of society, to speak truth to the high and mighty, not to lick their 3D printer. S/he is at peril when they ask a famous architect a difficult question. If this question doesn't strike a deep and uncomfortable chord, if it doesn't reflect current debate, it wouldn't elicit this kind of reaction. Gehry's finger says it all. The question turns out to be rhetorical.

Andrew Houghton

Frank Owen Goldberg's finger. His pretensions were showing.

Paul

His work really looks like abstract art. Just looks like blobs of this and that all thrown together, like a child creating something out of Lego bricks. Don't get me wrong, I like art, but some of it should be left on paper and filed away, only pulled out to remind one that there are better works out there that should be displayed.

Guest

The personification of "starchitect" teaches us Capitalism! What an irony...

T White

That type of response from Mr. Gehry represents all that is wrong with the profession of architecture. I had almost begun to think that we had gotten past this kind of "them and us" behaviour. Sad to see that it still exists.

booo!

I'm pretty sure Gehry is Canadian.

Ana Gutierrez

The finger just shows off the veneration that is handled by many architects that have submerged themselves deep into the ocean of arrogance.

mb4design

Everyone is wrong. Everyone is correct. Yes Frank's style may be called showy, but his projects tend to be centrepiece projects. 98% of buildings are background, visually, and that is where the focus on sustainability etc should be.

Whether or not he is the greatest designer is irrelevant. His work has helped generate great public discussion about architecture and innovation in the application of technology used to produce it. Yes innovation would have happened regardless, but perhaps taken longer.

A parallel discussion could take place in other fields as well. Take journalism: isn't 98% of that crap?

How about understanding a bit of the subject so you can frame intelligent questions instead of repeating the tweets of the uninformed?

Bilbao would have been even greater if it had remained a one-off, but Frank then did a Giacometti. Walking round his lovely redesign of Toronto's AGO reminded me how good his architecture can be away from crumpled paper.

JMan

I feel no professional, particularly one so well established and respected, should ever react in this way to any question or criticism. Gehry produces interesting, expressive and provocative work. It is not always to everyone's taste, but I think this is what makes his work most interesting - it sparks debate and discussion.

One of the first things I remember being taught as a student is that an architect will be subject to robust criticism throughout their career. The development of a 'thick skin' is essential. I think a designer's conviction and attitude towards architecture, especially when it is in the public eye, is reflected in how they respond to criticism.

mik

Dezeen, how about doing some 3D-printed "Gehry fingers" to offer? This moment is to be recorded somehow.

studio

Maybe offer up a watch with finger hands?

Corina A

I'd be more impressed if he showed the finger to all the greedy developers defacing cities for profit.

james

And the same finger to the planners.

Panto

Unnecessary and self demeaning, If you don't like the question go with an intellectual put-down. This is schoolyard behaviour.

gehrysfinger

Would u leav man alone. He has credits to show finger to whoever he so desires. Just stop bs about every god damn thing that is so mundane. We'll be reading for days now if he's cool or not, but no one speaks of his work. I tired of shallow media shite.

Riccardo Pusceddu

The journalist asked a very stupid question indeed. As if doing something good in architecture represented a "show". I can argue that it's a good show, that makes us live and feel better just by looking at its beauty. I only wished that Gehry's art had more emphasis on energy efficiency. Except that, long life to him.

Brennan Murray

"There's no sense of design nor respect for humanity or anything. They're bad buildings and that's it." Really Frank! Most of your own buildings lack a relation to human scale, especially the interiors, smooth volumes of mass that have no sense of tangible space at a human scale. I respect and even enjoy some of Frank's exteriors, for example New York at 8 Spruce St, but don't count yourself out of that 98%. Thats a lot of percentage to claim you've avoided. For your information, not every project your studio has completed has been a complete success without constructional, operational or program problems. I respect the body of work but no one is perfect!

formpig

God I love this guy. Long live FOGA.

wgrosby

The so called 'journalist' clearly doesn't understand the meaning of the word 'infamous'. The Guggenheim in Bilbao is famous, not infamous. Appalling writing.

Here in Mexico if you saw the landscape 10 years ago compared to now, you'd see green mountains converted into grey sad and poor "favelas" and most of the time government projects about hundreds and hundreds of abandoned mini-houses without basic services.

peter farman

I personally enjoy the 2% of 'weird work', call it architecture or art, that exists otherwise we only get budget driven cheap buildings. Look around your cities everywhere! Yes, it is shit.

architactless

After Starchitects, we have reached another pinnacle of evolution of the exalted profession. Enters the Archithug!

bartech

90% of what Gehry builds today is shit. His earlier houses had so much more than these shapes

Spooky

FrankenFinger allowed out for Halloween.

Erik Schwan

Dude is losing his mind in old age. If he thinks THIS project is quality, he needs to get real. Santa Monica residents would lose their amazing skyline views of the water and he would pad his bank account. And this is in his HOME TOWN. What a fool.

Is it just me, or does that middle finger look a bit... naked? Like it needs a bit of twisted foil to dress it properly? :P

Hamid Bekradi

Could Frank Gehry make the same comment about the "design of the cars" today please! In that case he can even raise it to 99.9% of the cars looking like sh*t.

Mock26

And 98% of what this so-called architect designed is shit.

Eric

If you don't like Gehry's work, then you don't have to commission him for your next building. He didn't make his mark over and over and over again by building structures people didn't like. His success is built upon satisfying his client, not 'you'. It's that simple.

cassandra

Gehry is a one-trick pony. His one idea is so over.

Concerned Citizen

His response and gesture shows everyone what an arrogant, self-important, conceited person he is.

Gehry's finger still exhibits "evidences" of his passage by Lisbon a couple of years ago. The mayor called him for a project hoping to ride on the star system glow of this architect on tour (like any rock & roll band).

Gehry got paid in gold for trash proposals that had nothing to do with the town, the surroundings or with the history of the locale. There is a lot of "itinerant (bull...) artists" hired to stage shows. He's right about the 98% shit. He knows well how to operate in this comedy of relations between dishonest politicians seeking for fame by hiring people like this one. They all will be gone one day, their "work" will stay.

matejdlabal

I couldn't agree more. I think he has a certain style, and unfortunately, his work is somewhat decreasing in quality. I especially love his "dancing building" in Prague, but recently some of his work might be included in that 98%.

What he is saying is right though: we are not spending the time on designing that we perhaps should (because of time-financial pressure), or maybe some just get into the profession, without really having a certain feeling for what is right and what is wrong, resulting in "pure shit".

On the other hand, even though we are victims of this "pure shit", I think that Gehry might have been a little less straight forward with his gestures and overall reaction. But maybe it's good after all, because maybe that's what people needed to hear, so that they could see.

Valeria

His response was inelegant, such as a lot of his work is. Doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong nor bad, it's just his style.

one in a million

Gehry is a poet in our profession! Many quasi-architects don't understand that, since they are autocad players, a crowd, a mediocrity... Never mind.

Architecture should take your breath away, move your emotions and initiate some mental activities, if not, it is only the shelter. Think about that... And yeah, a finger is a polite way of saying what I would show.

o

Tadao Ando belongs to that precious 2%.

&

The question seemed reasonable to me.

AckBBak

His designs are complete sh*t. Look at the disgusting contraption he destroyed the ROM with.

He definitely belongs to the 98%. Doing something different doesn't mean its responsible, relevant and creative.

The reason he's "up there" is probably built by good marketing and the social frenzy hype.

TruNYC

Frank Gehry's building are among the most expensive to maintain.

john Catao

"All the people commenting here, go back to the hole you came from." Frank Gehry

Tom Estes

I think people are missing the point. What he is saying is that 98% of all buildings are not even designed by an architect. They are just bland buildings erected by engineers. Like some flat-pack piece of furniture from Ikea.